The Bruise
by smolemu
Summary: Harry spots a bruise on Ron's back and assumes the worst. Implied child abuse. Fluffly ending. Also on Ao3 Cover art from Pottermore


Harry and Ron were sprawled out on the grass, exhausted and hot. They'd just spent the best part of an hour chucking gnomes over the fence, stupidly in the midday sun. Somehow though, despite their tiredness, they were still laughing and playfully shoving each other.

It was a lovely day, the sky so blue it didn't look real. There wasn't even a puff of cloud to break the expanse, and for once Harry Potter was having a good summer. Never before had he had _friends_ to play with. This summer though he was never alone at the Weasleys, everyone was so _nice_ too. That was strange for Harry, but very good. Nothing like the Dursleys at all.

Ron suddenly laughed very loudly shouting, 'tickle fight!'

Harry grinned, he'd never been in a tickle fight before. He had seen them but no children at his primary school wanted to play with him. 'You'll regret this!' He yelled dramatically, leaping onto his friend and showing no mercy until Ron was laughing so hard that tears were running down his already red cheeks.

'Stop!' He gasped. 'You win! You win Harry,' he rolled away, still giggling.

Which is the exact moment Harry stopped laughing and a horrendous cold feeling sunk to the bottom of his stomach. Ron had a bruise. A big bruise on his back. His t-shirt had ridden almost halfway up his back.

'Ron?' Harry asked quietly.

Ron stopped laughing immediately, the tone in Harrys voice was scary, and looked at his friend. 'What? What's wrong?'

'Where... who did that?' He asked shakily pointing at Ron's back. He felt like he already knew the answer though and that scared him more than even Uncle Vernon. He thought the Weasley's were good.

'Oh,' Ron said, twisting around to try and see for himself, 'Mum-'

'We're leaving.' Harry told him, standing up and quickly marching towards the burrow.

'What?' Ron asked, who was thoroughly confused, ran after him.

'Just like you got me from the Dursley's,' Harry said, defiantly clenching his fists, 'we're going to run away.'

'No Harry! That's not-'

Harry stopped at the door and looked Ron in the eye, 'it's okay,' he said softly, 'you don't have to lie to me.'

'Harry...' Ron stammered, suddenly realising what Harry was thinking.

'It's okay,' Harry grabbed his hand tightly and Ron felt he might cry.

To shocked to speak he let his friend drag him through the back door and all the way to his room where he haphazardly started to throw clothes into bags.

'Harry,' Ron tried again, 'my mum never hurt me. She put salve on it so I can't even feel it.'

Harry looked at him, his brow furrowed and his green eyes wet behind his glasses. 'You don't have to pretend, Ron,' he took a deep an steadying breath, 'I know what it's like.'

He'd said it so simply that Ron really did start crying.

'You don't have to worry anymore, we can just leave and they wont be able to hurt you anymore. I promise.'

'It was when we went to go get you,' Ron said desperately, trying to make Harry understand.

'I'm sorry,' Harry whispered. 'I never wanted you to get in trouble.'

'No, you're not listening! Mum never hurt me, Dad neither, _I_ promise _you_.'

Harry frowned, 'Ron, it's okay-'

'No, Harry listen,' Ron said as calmly as he could with tears rolling down his cheeks and snot blocking up his nose. 'I hurt myself on the car, when I was pulling stuff through the window.'

'Then why are you crying?' Harry asked softly.

Ron wiped furiously at his cheeks, 'because you never would have thought of all this if the Dursleys haven't done it to you and I _hate it_.'

'They... they really didn't hurt you?'

'No,' Ron said, trying very hard not to sob.

'Oh,' Harry looked down, cheeks flaring an impressive red over his sun-kissed skin.

Ron hugged him. A proper brother hug like how Bill did when he fell out of a tree or how Charlie did if the twins had been teasing him.

Harry just stood there, holding as still as he possibly could, not sure what to do and feeling so embarrassed...

'You don't have to worry anymore, Harry,' Ron murmured, turning his own words back on him. 'You're safe here and no one is ever going to hurt you again.'  
Ron squeezed him tighter and Harry finally hugged him too, wrapping his thin arms around his friends back.


End file.
